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Thursday September 27, 2007

Little research yields mixed results

The little research that has been done reveals that a majority of young-adult children from interfaith marriages feel deeply connected to their Jewish cultural and ethnic heritage but have little if any involvement with Jewish ritual or institutions.

A survey of about 600 college students conducted by Hillel in 2005 found that 48 percent who consider themselves Jewish come from intermarried homes.

A Jewish Outreach Institute study yielded similar findings. Interviewing 90 young adults from intermarried homes in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco, it found that very few had received any formal Jewish education, and just 30 percent considered themselves Jewish by religion.

In the Hillel study, nine out of 10 students with one Jewish parent said they’re ethnically Jewish, but only half said they were Jewish by religion. In contrast, of those with two Jewish parents, nine out of 10 said they were Jewish by religion.

About two-thirds said “being Jewish” was important to them, and three-fourths said they wanted to pass along their Jewish identity to their children. — jta

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